AJ Bell Adds 152,000 Platform Customers as Direct-to-Consumer Growth Leads

AJ Bell’s platform added 152,000 customers in the year through Sept. 30, as direct-to-consumer customers supplied most of the gains and platform assets reached a new peak of £126 billion.

The total rose 24% to 796,000. The direct-to-consumer (D2C) channel added 140,000 net customers and ended the year with 602,000 customers. The advised channel added 12,000 customers, closing at 194,000. Advisers held £71.6 billion in platform assets, while D2C accounts held £54.4 billion.

Investors added £9.7 billion in net platform inflows, a 37% increase from a year earlier. In the quarter through Sept. 30, the platform gained 34,000 net customers, 42% above the year-earlier period. Quarterly net inflows reached £2.5 billion, up 47%. Market and other movements contributed £13 billion to platform assets during the year.

Chief Executive Officer Michael Summersgill said, “Customer growth of more than 150,000 during the year reflects the strong appeal of our low-cost, trusted platform and market-leading customer service.”

Interactive Investor closed September with 533,000 customers, 8% more than a year earlier. Its average daily retail trades were 28,100 in the third quarter, 22% below the second quarter but 6% above the year-earlier quarter. The customer and trading figures are unaudited and subject to revision.

Other UK firms have broadened their retail investment options. XTB has offered UK tax residents an individual savings account (ISA) since December 2024 and introduced a Cash ISA for UK tax residents in the first quarter of 2026. An ISA is a tax-advantaged savings and investment account. In July, CMC Markets added fractional shares and exchange-traded funds, with purchases starting at £1 across its Stocks & Shares ISA, self-invested personal pension (SIPP) and general investment account.

Adult ISA accounts that received subscriptions totaled 16.8 million in tax year 2024-25, compared with 15 million the previous year. The figures count accounts, not unique savers. Starting April 6, 2027, people under 65 will have a £12,000 annual Cash ISA subscription limit within the overall £20,000 ISA limit. A 22% charge will also apply to interest from cash held in non-cash ISAs.

AJ Bell has set Dec. 3 for publication of its full-year results.